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PATAWOMECK INDIAN TRIBE OF VIRGINIA INC. | | | |
Shell Masks and Anthropomorphic Objects Among the Patawomecks | |
Wednesday, October 19, 2022 @ 7:00PM
Dr. Lauren McMillan, Assistant Professor in the Department of Historic Preservation (and an Honorary Tribal Member) will be our Guest Speaker for October's Patawomeck Stories Lecture Series. Dr. Lauren McMillan will present "Shell Masks and Anthropomorphic Objects Among the Patawomecks."
This is a free event and open to Tribal Members only.
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Presentation at:
Media Center
Patawomeck Tribal Center
638 Kings Highway, Fredericksburg, VA 22405
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In the Virginia Algonquian language, Patawomeck means “To bring again they go and come” or “Trading center,” indicating the centrality of trade and exchange to the tribe’s culture and identity. From the first written accounts of John Smith’s encounters with the Patawomeck people in 1607 to the mid-20th-century global eel trade established on the banks of Potomac Creek and other nearby tributaries by Potomac watermen, long-distance trade has been a central theme in Patawomeck history. Indeed, trading relationships in the Potomac country, which moved objects, people, and ideas across the North American continent, were integral to the deep history of the first peoples of the valley long before Europeans arrived at these shores.
One of the most visually striking examples of these long-distance connections are anthropomorphic shell masks recovered from the ancestral village of Patawomeck in southern Stafford County. These masks made a remarkable journey from the Gulf Coast, to eastern Tennessee, across the Blue Ridge Mountains, before finally arriving to Indian Point. These masks help to illustrate the deeply rooted connections the Patawomeck people have to the landscape of the Potomac country and their relationships with other peoples in the region.
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Dr. Lauren McMillan earned her BA in Historic Preservation from the University of Mary Washington, MA in Anthropology from East Carolina University, and PhD in Anthropology with a concentration in Historical Archaeology from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Dr. McMillan is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Historic Preservation at the University of Mary Washington. She teaches North American archaeology and other historic preservation classes. She has published and presented on a variety of topics ranging from early colonial clay tobacco pipes to the Antebellum and Civil War landscapes at Sherwood Forest in southern Stafford County. Her current teaching and scholarly research are focused on Native-Anglo interactions during the early 17th century and the interpretation of Native Virginian history in the present.
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Eel Pot and Carp Pens: Patawomeck Indian Fishing Traditions | |
Monday, November 14, 2022 @ 6:30PM
Dr. D. Brad Hatch, Anthropologist and Archaeologist (and Tribal Member) will be our Guest Speaker for September's Patawomeck Stories Lecture Series. Dr. D. Brad Hatch will present "Eel Pots and Carp Pens: Patawomeck Indian Fishing Traditions."
This is a free event and open to Tribal Members only.
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Presentation at:
Media Center
Patawomeck Tribal Center
638 Kings Highway, Fredericksburg, VA 22405
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For millennia the Patawomeck Indians and the waters of their homeland in Stafford and King George Counties have been inseparable. Doing more than just providing food, transportation, and recreation, the Potomac River, Potomac Creek, Accokeek Creek, and Aquia Creek, among other smaller tributaries, have allowed our tribe to hone and pass down traditions for countless generations. It is no exaggeration to say that without the water we would not be here; our identity and culture are tied to it. This talk highlights our reliance on the water and its bounty by examining two material manifestations of our long-held fishing traditions and their histories during the 20th and 21st centuries, eel pots and carp pens. While both the eel pot and carp pen have changed over time, influenced by the encroachment of modernity, they are still distinctly Patawomeck and stand as prime examples of the resistance and persistence of our people over the course of generations. The traditions preserved through objects like these helped us to remain united in the face of four centuries of colonization. Today, the revitalization of the traditional crafting of eel pots helps to ensure that the teachings of our ancestors will continue long into the future.
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Brad is a trained archaeologist focused on material culture and historic preservation and lifelong resident of the White Oak area of Stafford County, Virginia. He received his B.A. in historic preservation from the University of Mary Washington, his M.A. in anthropology / historical archaeology from the College of William and Mary, and his Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He is employed by the US Navy as the cultural resource manager at Naval Support Facility Dahlgren in King George, Virginia. As a member of the Patawomeck Indian Tribe of Virginia, Brad is one of two remaining traditional master makers of the Patawomeck eel pot. Brad’s research expertise focuses on identity, agriculture, community, and consumption, specifically in the Potomac River valley. Currently, his research centers on the materiality of Patawomeck watermen and their role in preserving native identity and community in the 19th and 20th centuries. In addition to his research, Brad works to pass on the tradition of eel pot making to other tribal members through classes and an apprenticeship program. He continues to explore the material culture of watermen within the tribe and the connections to a deep native history through public presentations and events in both academic and non-academic venues, helping to educate the broader public about the cultural heritage and persistence of the Patawomeck people.
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Date: Coming in 2023
Gordon Silver (and Tribal Member) will be our Guest Speaker for next year's Patawomeck Stories Lecture Series. Gordon Silver will present "Patawomeck Agriculture."
This is a free event and open to Tribal Members only.
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Presentation at:
Media Center
Patawomeck Tribal Center
638 Kings Highway, Fredericksburg, VA 22405
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Gordon Silver, a member of the Patawomeck Tribe, earned his BA in American History from the University of Mary Washington and his MA in American History from American Public University.
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If you have any questions or concerns, email us or call for more information. | |
Respectfully, Your Chief, Charles Bullock | | | | |
